The subjects are both nicely separated from the background by using a wide open aperture (or a "macro" setting on the camera, which leads to the same result in the end), blurring out the background by the short DOF (depth of field). It works best in the first, but also works nicely in the second.

Both are composed quite centrally, which is understandable, assuming the little focus point that shows up for you is right in the middle of your viewfinder/display (?) - but in the future you might try out half-pressing the button first (to have the autofocus focus for you on your subject) and recompose from there with things like the so-called "rule of thirds" in mind. In many cases, if done correctly, it will make a photo just this tad more interesting to look at which DOES make a difference.